Apparatus for effecting clarifica



June 24, 1947. R18. CAIRTER; JR 2,422,656

APPARATUS FOR EFFECTING CLARIFICATIONOF TURBID LIQUIDS Filed July 14,: 1944 INVENTOR. RALPH B. CARTE JR.

mum 1:7.

Patented June 1947 UNITED sTATas; PATENT orricr.

APPARATUS FOR EFFEGTING CIABIFICA- TION F TUBBID LIQUIDS Ralph B. Carter, in, Maywood, N. 3.. minor to enaaok,

Ralph B. Carter Company, Hack 1 This invention relates to an apparatus for eilecting clarification of turbid liquids wherein the use of a coagulant is provided and involving flocculation preparatory to sedimentation or flltration and has for its object to provide means to induce maximum floc amassment by continually changing inter-mixing flow paths.

The invention consists of a flocculation apparatus, according to which there is a general longitudinal liquid flow from an influent section at one portion 01' the tank or basin to an eiluent discharge section at the other end portion of the tank to which the longitudinal flowing stream is caused to flow in a defined meandering path, which is intermittently changed to other defined meandering paths, causing highly eflicient mingling of newly formed flocs to aid in creating, thru contact of said flocs each with the other the building up of largerapidly settleable flocs.

The longitudinal flow thru the tank or basin is controlled into a meandering stream by means of movable bailies, which in turn are actuated by outside motivating means, no agitating means being used.

In my invention there is no chance for floc settlement within the tank creating any septic condition, as the intermittently changing position ofthe baiiies eliminates at each change the corners where the floc settles and the flow changes this corner section into a iiow section thru which the'liquid flows at a greater velocity than its velocity between the bailes, automatically and intermittently moving heavier settled flocs on into the next low velocity section of the tank where they are mingled with smaller flocs in the multitudinous eddy currents set up by the changing flow stream.

Also; in my invention short circuiting is prevented, as the changing flow stream. caused by baiiies extending across the tank and intermit-' tentlyabove the level of the liquidoln the tank and to the bottom of the tank prevent any straight flow either across the surface of the liquid thru the tank or its-sides or its bottom.

The elimination of all .p'addle .agitative means: eliminates any possibility of iloc disintegration. thru contact withmoving agitativev paddles, thereby permitting the largest size does to form and'the most rapid settling of this: floc in the subsequent settling tank;

. It has been found desirable, due to weather and temperature changes, to attimes "vary the "velocity .of the liquid undergoing treatment within the flocculation chamber inorder to secure most effective fl massment, hi yelocityyariatlon 55 through the walking beams 2| causes the movable or may notbe guided by'guide slots 2' in the '1 Claims. (ems-4) can also be very readily accomplished in my invention" v The invention will be further described, embodiments thereof shown in the drawings, and will be finally set forth in the claims.

Fig. 1 is a vertical longitudinal section thru a coagulating tank provided with mechanism constructed in accordance with my invention.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same tank and mechanism.

Fig. 3 is a vertical section taken thru line 33 of Fig. 2,.

Figs. 4 and 5 are front and side views showin an alternate form of the movable bame, and showing the baiiles spaced from each other.

Fig. 6 is a longitudinal elevation of an alternate form of baiiie, arranged in horizontal position instead of vertically.

Fig." '7 is end front view, and

Fig. 8 is a side view 01' another form oi ver-- a proper liquid level in the tank ii is shown at the other end. An exit channel it and a pipe I. is provided for the flow of the liquid from the tank.

Supporting stands or brackets ii for hearing members II are provided'in which shafts ll oscillate. Arms or walking beams II are fastened to the'shaft 20, and provide an oscillating movement for connecting rods 23 through flexible links 21- Mov'able vertlcalbaiiles 25 are suspended from the connecting rods 23 which bailies may side walls of the tanks, as flow conditions through the tank ll demand. To operate allol the vertical baiiies'and do so successively alternatively, one

form of mechanical linkage provides oscillating motion from a gear motor 32 with a crankor eccentric cam II. The gear motor 32 causes the .crank or eccentric cam I I .to impart an oscillating motion-to the crank or cam 28 by rod". This motionof the crank 28 is in turn imparted to a crank 21, to which rods 28 are pivoted, which I rods 28 operate cranks 21'. These cranks 21' and crank .21 are secured to the shafts Ill, thus causing all shafts ill to oscillate, which in turn amaese In Fig. 1 with vertical bellies as shown a meandering over and under flow of liquid is caused from the entrance I! to the'exit II as shown by the arrow line 59. As the liquid flows under and over the bailles through the open spaces, above 1y spaced within said tank in the path of said or below the same, an eddying current is set up on the far side of each opening due to the relatively greater velocity of the liquid through said openings. As an example, the flow is about one foot :1. minute, and the baflies move about two or three strokes a minute.

This law of action provides a non-agitative mix-.. ture along the bailies conducive to the formation of larger settleable flocs through molecular attraction and permanent positioning of bailies. Such accumulations while sought, are moved along the tank longitudinally thereof by the meandering flow brought about by the positioning of the baiiies, but changed on each stroke of the walking beam.

The opposite stroke is shown in Fig. 1' in dotted I lines, which causes a directly opposite flow path.

The flow over baflle becomes the flow under bafiie. Thereafter the flow under bame becomes the flow over baiile, and so on throughout the length of the flocculation chamber. 1

This change or flow path in place of the previous flow path sets up additional multitudinous eddies creating an ideal mixing condition and giving the floc within the chamber maximum opportunities for contacting with each other, Due to the absence of any agitating mechanism there is no. tendency to break up fiocs.

Another form of baille is shown in Fig. '1 and Fig. 8, in which the baiiies Ill have end projections ii to enter the tank slots 26. Rods 62 support the baiiles by hinges 88. An operating rod is pivoted at 85 to the baflies operates the baiiies in the nature of a Venetian blind. The dotted line position in Fig. 8 shows the inclination opposite to that of the full line position. A meandering flow results with floc accumulation without agitation.

In Figure 6 horizontal bafiies are shown with actuating means to. swing them into angular plans. Walking beams 52 hinged on standards support vertical links 53, which support rods I4, which in turn support baiiles 55.

The central baffles 55 are in horizontal position. The entrance end balile is in an inclined position, the dotted lines showing the opposite position,-and the exit end baille is in the opposite position. A meandering flow results with the capacity of 1100 accumulation.

By decreasing the velocity of the flow over or under or through'bailiesat or near the exit end of th chamber, maximum flocs can be obtained or maintained at the exit. These velocities can be readily controlled by (1) varying the stroke of the walking beams, (2) by varying the height of the baiiies, (3) and by using a perforated or Spaced bafile construction.

Having described the invention and its characteristics in the form of an embodiment thereof, it is not desired to be limited thereto, save as the spirit thereof. is expressed in the following claims.

What I claim is:

1. In a floccfiating apparatus having steak or basin having an influent end and an eiiiuent end substantially horizontally aligned for the a horizontal flow of a coagulant-treated liquid from the influent end to the eiiluent end, the combination of a plurality of baflies longitudinalflow to accumulate does, the first of said longitudinally spaced baflles disposed to present a barrier to one part of the how and diverting said flow in one direction and the next of said-longitudinally spaced battles disposed to present a barrier to said diverted flow and diverting said flow in another direction, the diverted flow being at an angle to the horizontal length of the tank, and the flow between two horizontally spaced ad- Jacent baiiles being at an'angle to theilow between the next two, longitudinally spaced adjacent baiiles, and intermittently operating actuating means for the, baflles to move the first baflle away from its initial floc accumulation positionto the initial position of the second baiile, and to move the second baflle from its initial iloc accumulation position to the initial posi* tion of the first baille, whereby the doc accumulation during one position of a bame is moved by the flow after the removal of its barrier action, and the new position of that baiiie acts as a barrier for the accumulation of other fiocs.

2. In a flocculating apparatus, the combina, tion oi. claim 1, in which a plurality of guide grooves are vertically disposed and spaced longitudinally of said tank for the guidance of vertically disposed bafles.

3. In a fiocculating apparatus, the combination of claim 1, in which said actuating means include common means operatin each of the adjacent baflles forming a pair to raise one baflle and lower the other to change the position of each baflle of the pair from one fioc accumulation position to another, and from one flow ditally disposed, means at each end of each bafile' for supporting the baffle in the flow, and common means for both of said ends for moving one end down and the other end up, and vice versa.

6. In a flocculating apparatus, the combination of claim 1, in which said baflies are vertical- "1y spaced from each other.

7. In a flocculating apparatus, the combinationof claim 1, in which said baflles are arranged Venetian blind fashion, movable in various an gular positions in respect to the flow.

I RALPH B. CARTER, JR.

REFERENCES crrEn The following references are of record inthe file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PA'I'ENTS Number Name Date 272,959 Hoyt Feb. 27, 1883 384,568 Evans June 12, 1888 872,729 Hiller Dec, 3, 1907 1,129,453 Childress Feb. 23, 1915 1,577,365 Ross Mar, 16, 1926 2,321,965 Zimmerman June 15, 1943 

